


No, Not That Felix

by orphan_account



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Gen, Just Add Kittens, Most characters are only mentioned, No Angst, No Spoilers, Nonsense, Sharing a Bed, and boom, having two characters with the same name is wild, this came into existence, was thinking of felix the cat the cartoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 14:44:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21181172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: An orphaned kitten crawls up the dormitory stairs and into Sylvain's heart.He thinks it'd be hilarious to name her Felix.





	No, Not That Felix

It’s early Harpspring Moon when she climbs up the staircase to the dormitory. She’s limping a bit, but there’s still a flame in those green eyes and her claws are sharp enough to be threatening. Most of the students avoid her after she tries to scratch Marianne.

Of course, Sylvain is the only one oblivious enough on the entire floor to step forward, completely unafraid, and scoop her into his arms. 

“Aw, look at you,” he coos, pushing a finger into her face. She swipes at him, but he somehow pulls away unscathed. “I bet you’re just hungry.”

“It’s hurt, you imbecile,” Felix says, stepping close with arms crossed. A better look proves that she’s also mud-coated and scared out of her mind.

“Hey, he’s a _he_. Have some respect.”

* * *

Sylvain takes the kitten to Manuela and it turns out he’s a _she_, but that doesn’t stop Sylvain from naming her Felix. 

“It’s funny,” he insists, stroking her head with the back of his finger. After Manuela healed her up, she’s feeling a lot more playful and less agitated. She presses up into the touch, bunting against the back of Sylvain’s hand. “You’re similar.”

“How?”

“Well,” Sylvain says thoughtfully. “Remember how she tried to get Marianne? And how she threw a little hissy fit when she felt Manuela’s white magic? And how her fur was sticking out like this,” he splays the fingers of his free hand, “when she was all dirty?” He smiles at Felix and nods to himself. “Yeah, that’s just like you, Human Felix.”

“Human Felix,” he repeats, entirely displeased. “I am _not_ Human Felix. Change its name.”

“Gods, Human Felix, be nice. You can’t just change someone’s name out of the blue like that!”

“It’s a _cat_. If anything, it should be called Cat Felix.”

“Kitten,” Sylvain corrects matter-of-factly, and he pulls the kitten from the laces of his boots before she can cause too much mischief. “Look, she’s already used to her name, so there’s no going back now.”

To prove his point, he calls out to her. She doesn’t respond, but he has the biggest, goofiest grin on his face, and Felix is too tired to keep arguing.

* * *

By Blue Sea Moon, everyone on the second floor considers the little kitten to be their new mascot. She tends to stick with Sylvain, darting in and out of his room at night and leaping from his windowsill during the day. 

When confronted by Seteth about keeping pets, Edelgard is the one to fight in favor of keeping her. “Felix catches rats,” she says, and there’s a hum of agreement throughout the hallway. 

Seteth lifts a brow in confusion. “Felix? He has nothing to do with this.”

“No, not Human Felix,” Sylvain intervenes, holding the kitten close to his chest. “Felix.”

It doesn’t take much effort on Edelgard’s part to convince Seteth that the new rat exterminator has to stay, and soon the staff have taken to her, too.

* * *

Sylvain tries to get Human Felix to bond with her, but he’s never very receptive. The one time he manages to get the three of them into a room together, Human Felix busies himself with some whetstone and a dagger, and Sylvain is sure he’d lash out if provoked. 

He really is just like her.

Even so, Sylvain sometimes sees Human Felix wrap up scraps during mealtimes and slip them into his pockets. He doesn’t ask—it isn’t necessary to, either. He catches him feeding Felix once or twice.

When caught, he insists he hadn’t been feeding her, but Sylvain knows better. He feigns ignorance.

* * *

Felix usually sleeps on Sylvain’s bed, up near his pillow. She likes to curl up so close to his face that he can hardly breathe and, since he sleeps on his sides, she’ll climb over him when his face turns away to follow the light flutter of his lashes. It bothered him at first, but he gets used to it pretty quickly, and soon it’s something that he looks forward to. 

In the mornings, as soon as the sun pokes over the horizon, she’ll swat at Sylvain’s nose until he stirs and guide him to the window. He’ll open it and she’ll disappear on the ledge outside, balancing over to some other student’s room. Sylvain is always too tired to really care.

Today, though, there’s a fine Wyvern Moon frost on his window, and he really doesn’t want to open it and let the cold in. Instead, he rubs his eyes and stumbles over to the door, pressing a palm to the knob. “Come ‘ere, ‘Lix,” he murmurs, trying his best not to fall asleep while standing. 

He opens the door and she darts out. He wants to go back to bed, curl back up in those warm blankets, but curiosity gets the better of him and he takes a peek at where she’s headed.

She doesn’t go far—two doors down, he thinks—before she’s sitting back and scratching against closed doors. He watches her for a while, expectant, before a yawn forces his eyes closed. When he opens them again, she’s gone, and he hears the _click_ of a door quietly closing.

* * *

In the middle of Red Wolf Moon, Byleth accidentally calls Human Felix…well, Human Felix. And he absolutely loses it.

“I told you to change that stupid cat’s name,” he says, gesturing animatedly toward her. She looks up apathetically before lifting her hind leg and licking it. “If I get called Human Felix one more time—”

“Oh, come on,” Sylvain coos, wagging a finger in front of Human Felix’s face. He takes the bait and swipes but misses. “You’re just like her. The name is way too fitting.”

“We are _not_ alike.”

“Do you really want me to make a list? ‘Cause I will.”

Felix presses his lips into a tight, stubborn line before turning away. “Change her name before she goes missing under mysterious circumstances.”

Sylvain doesn’t change her name.

* * *

She goes missing in the early Ethereal Moon. 

Well, not really, but she stops sleeping with Sylvain, and it drives him crazy. He misses the little patter of her paws against his back in the middle of the night, and the tickle of her whiskers against his cheeks, and her snoring—which is a lot louder than you’d expect from someone so tiny.

He never thought the silence could be so lonely.

Two weeks into sleeping alone and he’s had it.

He picks her up and hugs her tight. She’s bigger now, used to being coddled like this, but that doesn’t stop her from swatting at his chin.

“Why do you leave every night?” he whines, pressing his face down onto the top of her head. “Who stole your heart, Felix?”

She doesn’t answer. Sylvain thinks that even if she could talk, she wouldn’t answer. She’s a lot like Human Felix in that regard. 

So, instead of crying about it, he takes action. He throws on his darkest pajamas, something to better blend into the shadows with, and waits.

As expected, she asks to be let out of his room just as the sun is setting. He puts his candle out before opening the door, then follows close behind when she rushes out. 

And then she stops. 

Not even a quarter of the way down the hallway, she just stops, glances up at a set of closed doors, and meows once.

The doors open and she saunters inside like it’s nobody’s business.

Sylvain stays behind in the shadows, jaw nearly touching the floor as it dawns on him.

That was Human Felix’s room.

* * *

In the late Pegasus Moon, Byleth accidentally calls Human Felix…well, Human Felix. Again. But this time, he doesn’t lose it.

“What?” he answers, and though his voice is sharp, there isn’t the usual annoyance behind it. It’s almost as if he’s gotten used to the nickname.

Later, testing his luck while the three of them are in one room, Sylvain confronts Human Felix and says nonchalantly, “I wonder where Felix goes at night.”

Human Felix’s shoulders tense. It’s miniscule, but they do, and Sylvain tries not to react visibly. “I don’t know. Ask around.”

He wants to press the matter further, but Human Felix is on the ground, legs crossed, with a tattered shoestring between his fingers as he plays with Felix, and Sylvain doesn’t want to ruin the moment. “I guess I will,” he says instead.

* * *

Not even Felix can lighten up the mood when the monastery is thrust into war. Everyone is tense and afraid and tired of training day in and day out.

She still doesn’t sleep with Sylvain anymore, and on the day before the monastery is set to defend against invaders, he’s had enough. Enough of pretending not to know. Enough of feeling lonely.

When Felix meows before closed doors, Human Felix opens as usual, but shouts a curse into the hallway when he sees Sylvain’s shadow. “You scared the crap out of me,” he snaps. When Felix tries to step inside, he stops her with his foot. “Take your cat and go back to your room.”

“Hey, come on. I know your big secret.”

Felix hesitates. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Go away.”

“I know you’ve been sleeping with Felix.” _Felix sleeping with Felix. Never thought I’d say that._

“I have _not_.”

“Look, I won’t tell anyone. And, even if I did, do you think anyone would care? We all have better things to worry about than you liking a very likeable cat.” He lifts an arm, which cradles a pillow and a blanket. “Just one night. Please, Felix.”

A beat passes. “You called me Felix.” 

Another beat. Sylvain draws his eyebrows together, confused. “Yeah. And?”

“Not Human Felix.”

_Oh._ “Did—Do you want me to call you that?”

“No,” and he steps away from the door. Felix scurries inside, immediately leaping onto Human Felix’s bed and making herself comfortable near the top. There’s something endearing about the idea of him letting her climb all over him, too. “Just one night,” he repeats.

“Just one night,” Sylvain nods before stepping inside.

And it really is just one night. One night where three people—well, two people and a cat that acts a lot like _one particular person_—squeeze onto a bed made for one. 

It’s just one night but, as Felix climbs over his face and Human Felix wraps an arm around his chest, Sylvain thinks this one might be the best he’s had.


End file.
